Barkme Wolf
Active Member
Captain Obvious here-
Rider Opinion- How to avoid accidents
- Thread starter Barkme Wolf
- Start date
mrgold35
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the tips!
I run into the same thing when I work commute with a driver trying to be courteous to me; but, holding up traffic for +10 cars. I do the same thing and either tell them to go OR just turn my head to look like I'm not paying attention. I've had someone once throw and hit my front tire with a Sonic cup full of ice, another cuss me out to "get out of the F****in' road", and a few drivers that weave into the bike lanes too far as they pass me. Those only happened a few times out of few hundred rides.
I also do things like:
- extremely bright and reflective clothing
- always wear extra protective gear like for eyes, helmet, mirror, gloves, and sometime knee/elbow pads if I'm hitting the single-track trails before heading home after work.
- very bright flashing headlight and extremely bright rear light every-time I share the road with vehicles
- very defensive rider, assume I'm the one that is going to get hurt or have my bike damage no matter who is at fault
- atleast 3 fingers on each brake when sharing the road
- sometimes switch to the sidewalk if it looks like I will hold up traffic before hitting the right turn only lane with no bike lane (plus, I can get to the crosswalk signal button easier on the sidewalk)
- I ride the sidewalk on main roads if speed limit is +40 mph and there is not a bike lane (vehicles are sometime at +60 mph!)
- always be nice even when they are not (the middle finger is the state bird for many states)
I run into the same thing when I work commute with a driver trying to be courteous to me; but, holding up traffic for +10 cars. I do the same thing and either tell them to go OR just turn my head to look like I'm not paying attention. I've had someone once throw and hit my front tire with a Sonic cup full of ice, another cuss me out to "get out of the F****in' road", and a few drivers that weave into the bike lanes too far as they pass me. Those only happened a few times out of few hundred rides.
I also do things like:
- extremely bright and reflective clothing
- always wear extra protective gear like for eyes, helmet, mirror, gloves, and sometime knee/elbow pads if I'm hitting the single-track trails before heading home after work.
- very bright flashing headlight and extremely bright rear light every-time I share the road with vehicles
- very defensive rider, assume I'm the one that is going to get hurt or have my bike damage no matter who is at fault
- atleast 3 fingers on each brake when sharing the road
- sometimes switch to the sidewalk if it looks like I will hold up traffic before hitting the right turn only lane with no bike lane (plus, I can get to the crosswalk signal button easier on the sidewalk)
- I ride the sidewalk on main roads if speed limit is +40 mph and there is not a bike lane (vehicles are sometime at +60 mph!)
- always be nice even when they are not (the middle finger is the state bird for many states)
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Barkme Wolf
Active Member
I think my next video will be on how to be seen.
mrgold35
Well-Known Member
I guess a good thing about being cussed out and having Sonic cups of ice thrown at me is the folks in the vehicle could see me clearly! 
My daughter's boyfriend had someone in a BMW sideswiped him on a right hand turn lane when he was riding his bike to college a few years ago. He was knocked off his bike and tumbled without injury; but, the car ran over his bike. The driver just rolled down his window and asked if he was alright. He just said "I think so" and the driver just took off before he could finish his sentence. The car bent his front forks and rim on his only transportation. Very lucky because he was just wearing regular cloths and no safety gear at the time.
My daughter's boyfriend had someone in a BMW sideswiped him on a right hand turn lane when he was riding his bike to college a few years ago. He was knocked off his bike and tumbled without injury; but, the car ran over his bike. The driver just rolled down his window and asked if he was alright. He just said "I think so" and the driver just took off before he could finish his sentence. The car bent his front forks and rim on his only transportation. Very lucky because he was just wearing regular cloths and no safety gear at the time.
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Barkme Wolf
Active Member
I guess a good thing about being cussed out and having Sonic cups of ice thrown at me is the folks in the vehicle could see me clearly!
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
There is a fine line between being riding assertively and being suicidal.
Where I live it is mostly chip-sealed county roads with little or no shoulder. Not too much traffic but that traffic is often going 50+mph. I find it best to avoid being a good little cyclist and staying far to the right, rather, I am assertively in the lane and jink a little bit so a vehicle passing me will give me some room. That works great with civilian vehicles but the day I get overtaken by a log truck or a dump truck I am likely axle dressing.
Where I live it is mostly chip-sealed county roads with little or no shoulder. Not too much traffic but that traffic is often going 50+mph. I find it best to avoid being a good little cyclist and staying far to the right, rather, I am assertively in the lane and jink a little bit so a vehicle passing me will give me some room. That works great with civilian vehicles but the day I get overtaken by a log truck or a dump truck I am likely axle dressing.
I'll disagree with you on this one, you'll have a much firmer grip on the bars when you hit that unseen pothole or debris that is hidden in the shade if you one finger brake and keep all other available digits wrapped around your grips. This is assuming you have discs or well adjusted brakes that are one finger capable.
The best way to stay alive riding with cars is to avoid them at all times or treat them like a heard of unpredictable rhinos. Don't ever forget they'll quickly and easily kill you.
mrgold35
Well-Known Member
My grip on my handlebars are not a problems since my hands are large enough to palm a basketball and I always wear 1/2 or full fingered riding gloves for extra comfort/grip. I use my index+thumb around the ergo grip and three outer fingers on the hand brakes when work commuting with a lot of traffic or single track trail riding. I usually take my fingers off the brake handles for long and boring straight runs. I just feel more comfortable riding and stopping in this configuration (180mm front/rear cable disc brakes, 280lbs for me, +65lbs for ebike, +25lbs for gear/accessories/tools/spare battery/rack+bag/etc...).
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
Pardon me, this will be a little disjointed...
The above posts dance around an important safety point. You need to make sure your brakes are properly adjusted. You should also check your tire pressure frequently and periodically tighten anything that is working loose.
For myself, I do the three fingers on the brakes thing when running a fast downhill. But I have big hands. Although it has saved my life when a deer (or one time a moose!) popped out of the bushes and in front of me when running downhill at 50+ kph.
Being seen is a good thing. At night in addition to the bike lights I have a helmet light and an extra blinky light.
One dangerous situation that happens with electric bikes is that motorists will often grossly underestimate your speed. I have lost count of the number of times I have made eye contact with a car who immediately pulled in front of me, in spite of my moving along at 30+ kph. One more reason for the three fingers on the brake thing. On a related note I have noticed that many motorists feel compelled to pass me, even if I am going a considerable amount over the local speed limit.
Another situation involves the fact that in a turn, most motorists will tend to cut to the inside while most cyclists will drift to the outside. If you are running downhill into a rightward curve (in American rules driving) and some idiot motorist tries to pass you you can end up with a scary high-speed collision.
Bridges are scary. I try to get through them as fast as possible, though some I avoid at all costs. Long narrow bridges (like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_the_Gods_(modern_structure) or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria–Megler_Bridge) are really scary.
The above posts dance around an important safety point. You need to make sure your brakes are properly adjusted. You should also check your tire pressure frequently and periodically tighten anything that is working loose.
For myself, I do the three fingers on the brakes thing when running a fast downhill. But I have big hands. Although it has saved my life when a deer (or one time a moose!) popped out of the bushes and in front of me when running downhill at 50+ kph.
Being seen is a good thing. At night in addition to the bike lights I have a helmet light and an extra blinky light.
One dangerous situation that happens with electric bikes is that motorists will often grossly underestimate your speed. I have lost count of the number of times I have made eye contact with a car who immediately pulled in front of me, in spite of my moving along at 30+ kph. One more reason for the three fingers on the brake thing. On a related note I have noticed that many motorists feel compelled to pass me, even if I am going a considerable amount over the local speed limit.
Another situation involves the fact that in a turn, most motorists will tend to cut to the inside while most cyclists will drift to the outside. If you are running downhill into a rightward curve (in American rules driving) and some idiot motorist tries to pass you you can end up with a scary high-speed collision.
Bridges are scary. I try to get through them as fast as possible, though some I avoid at all costs. Long narrow bridges (like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_the_Gods_(modern_structure) or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria–Megler_Bridge) are really scary.
"One dangerous situation that happens with electric bikes is that motorists will often grossly underestimate your speed. I have lost count of the number of times I have made eye contact with a car who immediately pulled in front of me, in spite of my moving along at 30+ kph. One more reason for the three fingers on the brake thing. On a related note I have noticed that many motorists feel compelled to pass me, even if I am going a considerable amount over the local speed limit."
This: I ride 2 miles through housing sub divisions to get to a trailhead and I've lost count of the times cars have tried to pass me as we come up on 4 ways stops without the room till they end up stopped next to me at the stop, in the other lane..... or pass me on the inside of a blind sweeping turn, using the other lane that they can't see into 100'. F***ing insane.
100 times? Probably more. Oh and most of those are riding un-assisted but spiritedly as I do warming up. 20-22mph max.
This: I ride 2 miles through housing sub divisions to get to a trailhead and I've lost count of the times cars have tried to pass me as we come up on 4 ways stops without the room till they end up stopped next to me at the stop, in the other lane..... or pass me on the inside of a blind sweeping turn, using the other lane that they can't see into 100'. F***ing insane.
100 times? Probably more. Oh and most of those are riding un-assisted but spiritedly as I do warming up. 20-22mph max.
Barkme Wolf
Active Member
http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/drivers-who-dislike-cyclists-d.html
"Drivers who dislike cyclists don't see them"
"Drivers who dislike cyclists don't see them"
Robert W Green
Member
Always get eye contact and use dominence. I give them the "don't you dare pull out in front of me glare and try to look a lot bigger than I am. Wearing bright clothing including a bright neon orange helmet with helmet light and lots of blinkys arrayed in a 360 degree pattern also. My near misses went from 2 a day to 2 a week. It's progress.
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